If anything can bring a great big smile to the comely face of Former Miss America, good Christian Gretchen Carlson, it’s talk of Christian messages on great, big billboards. Why shout it from the mountain, when you can put your godly message up on signs that will, as the lord wills it, be promoted on Fox & Friends. For two years running, the Ohio gals who raised money to erect great, big billboards that say “It’s OK to say Merry Christmas” were able to pitch their message and raise more money thanks to Fox & Friends. Unlike the evil, librul atheists who dared to put up signs on busses that say be good for goodness sake (personal responsibility!), the billboard ladies were promoting the mandatory “Merry Christmas” as a way to fight those evil, librul, satanic forces who make the baby Jesus cry whenever he hears “Happy Holidays.” Well, the evil, librul, satanic forces are still trying to end the world as we know it with the erection of an atheist billboard. But not to worry, a couple of Florida Christian soldiers are fighting back with 7 new god loving billboards. Take that Satan! And are we surprised that good Christian Gretchen Carlson is providing a pulpit to preach the word, praise the lord. Can somebody give me an amen!

Gretchen immediately framed the situation. “Heating up in Florida after Poke County residents decided to put up 7 new billboards, in response to an atheist ad that (gasp) questioned the existence of God, those billboards will be unveiled today.” (Hosanna in the highest). The evil atheist sign (“Don’t believe in God, you’re not alone) was shown. With a great big Miss America smile, Gretchen introduced the billboard guys. The chyron, with the requisite Christian “battle” theme, read: “Billboard Battle Heats Up, Group To Unveil 7 New Pro-God Signs.” Next to a chyron was an image of praying hands. After joking about sunny Florida weather, Carlson said that the two men were putting “some sun back in the lives of people who are Christians in response to those anti-atheist (emphasis on atheist) billboards.” She showed a photo of one of the billboards that say “He is risen.” Tim Williams said that “the lord was calling me to do it.” To Gretchen’s question of why they are doing this, Richard Geringswald said that “it’s time for the churches to focus on why we’re here and that’s to worship the risen Savior.” The chyron read “A God Fearing County, Billboards Serve As A Reminder of Hope.” (Uh, the number of self identified Christians, beyond Poke County, is dropping…) Gretchen got all intense when she said that she understood, from her notes about this, that they feel that “it’s important to get back to the basics. What do you mean by that, Tim?” In case the audience forgot about those evil atheists, the chyron read “An Answer To Atheism, Christians Respond With Their Own Billboards.” Tim provided an evangelical response about understanding the gospel and accepting Jesus Christ.” (Not the “basics” of Catholicism and mainline Protestantism which have that Marxist “social justice” thing). A photo of a billboard with “Believe in God” was shown.

There was more persecuted Christian right propaganda from Carlson who talked about how, when she grew up, “we didn’t feel that we were under this attack in society, from political correctness.” (Uh, Gretch, the atheists have just as much right to a billboard as the Christians - who are not, in this case, being attacked.) While she admitted that “everyone has a voice, one complaint ruins it for everyone else." (A little deja vue from Gretch who feels that separation of church and state is “menacing and expensive.”) Gretchen's facial expression was one of righteous indignation. Geringslwald, in referencing the Warren court decision, said it all started when prayer and bible reading were taken out of the schools. He babbled about taking “In God We Trust” off the coins, “potable (?) prayer at council meetings,” and the popular Christian right bete noir about taking God out of the Pledge. And just to reinforce the message about evil atheists, the chyron read, “Awakened By Atheists, Billboards Counter Non-Believers Message.” Geringslwald produced another standard among the radical, Christian right, about “freedom of religion not being freedom from religion.” Gretchen said “hmm.” He claimed that while we have freedom of speech, the tendency is getting “louder and louder Christians to be quieter, keep your religion in the church building, don’t get it out into the highways and byways.” Gretchen, who was nodding her pretty little head while he was speaking, said “that’s what you guys are doing now.”

Comment: If there was any lingering doubt that Fox & Friends actively promotes right wing Christian causes, this segment should dispel it. Good Christian Gretchen provided a safe and comfortable pulpit for these guys to preach their gospel. The message that atheism is bad was reinforced. Gretchen got to bitch about “political correctness" and how Christians are "attacked." (by atheist billboards?) The standard persecuted Christians memes were articulated. Gretchen and the baby Jesus are smiling!

Oh, and the Fox video title of this segment: "Divine Billboard Battle." As the church lady would say, "isn't that special!"